Heat regulator



Nov. 14, 1933. l c. wANTz HEAT REGULATOR Filed Dec. 21. 1931 PatentedNev. 14, 1933 UNITED STATES HEAT REGULATORl Clarence Wantz, Milwaukee,Wis., assigner to Milwaukee Gas Specialty Company, Milwaukee, Wis., acorporation of Wisconsin Application December 21, 1931 Serial No.582,282

This invention relates 4to heat regulators for ovens and the like, andhas for itsobject the provision of a device in which all of the partsmay be disposed within the confines of the Walls deg iining the oven orother space; and a device having an elongated thermostat extendingsubstantially through the entire interior of the oven or other spacefrom one wall to the opposite wall.

The permitted disposition within the confines of the Walls deilning ih'eovenor other space enables the provision of an oven of improvedappearance, and in addition all parts of the device are'well protected.The device may be calibrated accurately before installation, and nofurther adjustment need be necessary after the device is placed withinthe oven. The'controlling knob and associa/.ed dial of the device may beformed to conform or harmonize with the general contour or appearance ofthe oven or gas range.

The elongated thermal sensitive element extending through the interiorof the oven or other space from one side to the opposite side provides adevice having great selectivity of control, i. e.,

a device in which slight differences in temperature settings willproduce temperature differences in true conformity therewith.

The device shown in the drawing comprises a control element forcontrolling the heating medium; a selecting device for hand control forthe purpose oi selecting particular temperatures for particularpurposes; and a thermal sensitive device for actuating the controllingdevice. The selecting device is mounted on the wall at one side of theoven, preferably with the control knob g5 and associated dial on theoutside oi the oven,

and the control device is mounted upon the opposite side wall; thethermal sensitive device extending entirely through the ovenV spacebetween 'i he opposite walls, with one end operatively associated withthe selecting device and the opposite end operatively associated withthe control device.

Other features and advantages of the present g invention will appearfrom the following detail and regulating device taken substantially onthe l, line 2 2 of Figure l; and

`Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of my novel mounting ring.

descrip'ion taken inv connection with the accom- Referring to thedrawing, the gas range is indicated generally by the reference numeral5, and comprises the oven chamber 6, the control panel 7, and the oventop or grate burners 8. A suitable cover member 9 hinged at 9, as shownin dotted lines, provides a cover for the top burners 8, and alsocooperates with the top of the oven chamber 6 to produce a table toptype vof oven, although it is to be understood that my device may beadapted for installation upon any of the standard ovens which are'now inuse, yor elsewhere as suitable or desired.

The ovenv 6 is provided with the usual bottom tray, and positioned belowthis tray of the oven is the usual type of oven burner, indicated indotted lines at 1G. The burner 10 has the conduit or fuel supply pipe 1lleading from the control Valve 12 and connected to the burner 10. Asuitable conduit 12 leads from the gas supply manifold 14 to the controlvalve l2. The gas is mixed with air in a conventional mixing tube at theburner 10.

A suitable gas cock 15 is positioned on the control panel 7 forcontrolling the ilow or" gas to the oven burner 10, vand corresponds ingeneral to the gas cocks 15' for the open top or gratev burners 8. Thegas. cock 15 has a tapped connection, not shown, with the gas supplymanifold ifi, and may be provided with a suitable conduit member passingthrough control valve l2 and terminating in a Venturi tube 'which entersthe mixing chamber for projecting the supply of gas into the mixingchamber, but this may vary widely'.

When gas cock 15'v is opened the gas passes from the manifold 14 throughthe control .valve 1'2 and associated conduit means to the mixingchamber of burner'lO. The valve 12 ds shown positioned between the outeroven wall 16 and an inner lining or spacing wall 17 which, with 95 thewall 16, forms a double; wall at one side o the oven. The space betweenthe outer wall 16 and the liner 17 comprises an insulating chamberadapted to prevent rapid transmission of the heat within the oven to theouter wall 16.

The control valve 12 comprises the valve body 18 having an [inletchamber 19 and an outlet chamber 20 formedtherein. A pair oi screws 2lare threaded into the valve body 18 and are countersunkin suitableopenings formed in the 105 liner 17 for securing the valve body 18rigidly to the wall member 17.

The valve body 18 has an integral partition wall 22 provided with anopening 22 formed therein for providing communication between 110vsurrounding the opening 22. v'This recess is adapted to receive a valveclosure member 24 of the mushroom type, and provides a seat for thevalve member 24 around the opening 22'. The valve member 24 is adaptedto control the quantity of combustible fuel flowing from the inletchamber 19 through the opening 22' in the partition wall 22 to theoutlet chamber 20. The inlet chamber 19 has communication by means of asuitable conduit connection 19' with the gas supply manifold` 14, thisconnection being controlled by the gas cock 15. The outlet chamber 20communicates, by means of the conduit 11, with the oven burners 10. Itis thus apparent that, upon opening of the gas cock 15, the gas ispermitted to iiow through the conduit member to the inlet chamber 19 ofthe control device 12. From here the gas passes through the valveopening into the outlet chamber 20 and thence through the conduit 1l tothe oven burner 10. The position of the valve member 24 with respect tothe valve seat 23 determines the quantity of fuelflowing through thecontrol device to the burner means l0.

4The control device 12 is provided with a cap member 25, this memberbeing threaded for insertion in a corresponding openingv formed in onewall of the inlet chamber 19. The cap member 25 is provided. with asuitable recessed portion 26 adapted to receive the enlarged end of ahelical spring member 27. The other end of the spring member 27encircles a projecting knob formed on the valve member 24 and urges thevalve member 24 yielding'ly to its seat.

A by-pass 27a is provided between the inlet chamber 19 and the outletchamber 20 of the valve body 18, and has an adjusting screw 28 adaptedto be threaded into the by-pass` for adjusting the effective areathereof. This by-pass permits gas to iiow from the inlet chamber 19 tothe outlet chamber 20 and thence to the oven burner 10, even when thevalve member 24 is seated against the valve seat 23. This by-pass isprovided so that in case the gas cock 15 is left open inadvertently withthe valve 24 closed, the gas will pass to the burner 10 where it will beignited by the pilot flame and burner. 1n other words, the by-passmaintains the burner lighted whenever the gas cock i5 is open.

A pilot flame connection, shown diagrammatif cally in Figure l andindicated by the reference numeral 30, is provided for the purpose of atall times insuring ignition of any gas flowing to the oven burner.rllhis pilot flame connection comprises a threaded nipple member 29,suitably threaded into a tapped opening leading into the inlet chamber19. This nipple member 29 is provided with an adjusting screw 3l whichis adapted for adjusting the quantity of gas flowing through the nipplemember 29 to the pilot name connection 30. The pilot flame connection 30comprises a conduit having an outlet at its outer extremity positionedadjacent the oven burner 10 for maintaining a pilot flame at the burner.

The valve body 18 has a projecting boss 33 which projects through asuitable opening 34 formed in the liner 17 of the oven. A recess 36 inthe outwardly projecting portion 33 of the valve body 18 is adapted' toreceive the threaded end of a'tube or conduit member 37. The conduit vmember 37 is held in position with respect to the projecting boss 33 bymeans of a lock nut 38 threaded upon the conduit and into engagenasalesment with the boss. The conduit 37 surrounds a stem member 39 which isengaged at one end with the valve member 24' for actuating the valvemember.

The valve stem 39 has an enlarged portion 40 80 extending .transversely`of the oven and enclosed within the tube 37. The rd 4o .and the tube 31form a rod and tube type 'of thermostat which is positioned transverselyofthe oven near the top thereof and which extends across the entire g5width of the oven. The, rod and tube are formed of materials havingdifferent coeiiicients of thermal expansion,v the tube having a greatercoefiicient of expansion than the rod, At its other extremity, thisthermostat is secured to a suitable selecting means positioned on theoven Wall. This selecting means 41 comprises a housing member 42positioned between the oven liner 17a and the outer oven wall 16a. Thehousing 42 has a cylindrical extending portion which projects through asuitable. opening in the liner 17a!1 and which is provided with acoaxial internally threaded portion 43 for receiving the threaded end ofthe tube 37. A lock nut 44 is provided for locking this end of the-tubewithin the housing 42.

At its other end, the internally threaded portion 43 of the housing 42receives a spindle member 45, which is threaded therein and is adaptedto move axially of the rod 40 when rotated. This 105 Vspindle member 45has a reduced inner end 46 which is provided with an axial recess forreceiv ing the projecting end of the rod 40. The rod 40 is mountedloosely within this recess or socket and is adapted to be moved axiallyby rotation u() of the spindle member 45. This axial movement. resultsin opening and closing of the valve member 24.

The spindle member 45 is provided with an enlarged flange portion 47which is adapted to m5 provide a seat for a coaxial spring member 48.The other end of the spring member 48 abuts an annular washer,positioned about the spindle 45 and abutting the housing 42, fornormally urging the spindle member outwardly from the 320 housing toseat the threads on the spindle against the threads in the housing inthat direction thereby preventing gas leakage at all times.

Extending outwardly from the flange 47 is a stub portion 49 integralwith the spindle member 25 45, this stub portion being provided with aninternal axial recess threaded to receive a screw 50. Positioned aboutthis stub portion 49 of the spindlev 45 are two irictional washers 51and 52 which serve to engage the central part of a 130 suitable dialmember 53 disposed therebetween for rotating the spindle 45 by rotationof the control knob 54. The control knob 54, which may be suitablyknurled, is positioned outwardly of the washer 52 and is forced inwardlyintom5 frictional engagement therewith by means of the screw 50, whichclamps the knob 54 to the flange 47, with the washers and central partof the dial member clamped therebetween. The flange 47, M0 washer 51,dial member 53, washer 52, and the control knob 54 are forced inwardlyfor frictional engagementv therebetween by the screw 50 for insuringthat upon rotation of the knob 54, the dial member 53 will rotatetherewith and the 145 spindle member 45 will be moved axially.

The dial member 53 is provided with suitable temperature indications ormarkings corresponding to the range of temperatures desired within theoven, which is usually from 250 degrees to 500 degrees, although thismay be varied asdesired.

The housing 42 has the outwardly extending ange portion 55 which isadapted to be engaged by grooves 56' formed in the inwardly extendingportion v56 of a mounting ring or bezel 57,. This mounting bezel 57 isprovided with a radially flanged portion 57 which engages the surface ofthe wall 16a.

This bezel 57 is provided in the panel or oven wall 16a for the purposeof permitting removal of the panel withoutinterfering with the heatv andis provided with spring fingers 59, struck' out from the ring member,which are adapted to engage the inner surface of the wall 16a, thespring fingers bearing resiliently against the wall.

A pair of tongue members 60, struck out of the ring member and extendingoutwardly therefrom, are adapted to be snapped into locking engagementwith a cooperating pair of slots or apertures 61 formed in the inwardlyextending portion 56 of the bezel 57. This provides a resilient, butpositive, means for locking the ring member 58 in position with respectto the bezel 57, and affords a frictional' engagement for preventingrotation of the bezel with respect to the panel or wall 16a. f

The outwardly flanged portion 55 of the housing 42 has a stop pin 62secured thereto for cooperating with a second stop pin 63 carried by thedial member 53 for limiting the rotation or' movement thereof.

In the operation of my control device, the control knob 54 is rotated tobring the desired temperature indication on the dial member 53 intoregister with the reference point or marking on the frame member 5'1.This results in axial movement of the spindle member 45 within thehousing 42 which causes the spindle member to urge the rod 40 to theleft, as viewed in Figure 2.

Movement of the rod 40 in this direction results in the valve stem 39causing the valve member 24 to be forced off of its seat against thepressure of the spring member 27. The amount that the valve member 24 isremoved from the seat 23 is dependent upon the degree of rotationimparted to the spindle member 45, this being determined by thetemperature setting which is effected. After the selecting means hasbeen initially rotated to the position corresponding to the temperaturedesired within the oven, the gas cock 15 is opened and gas iiows fromthe gas supply manifold 14 to the inlet chamber 19 of the valve body 18.From the inlet chamber the gas iiows through the valve opening to theoutlet chamber 20 and thence through the conduit 11 to the oven burner10.

If, for any reason, the temperature within the oven rises to a pointgreater than that desired, as indicated by the selecting means 41, thetube .37 and the rod 40 will begin to expand. Inasmuchas the controldevice 12 is iixedly secured tothe oven walllinei` 17 by means of thescrews 21, the expansion of the tube 37 and -rod 40 will cause thehousing 42 to be forced outwardly, resulting in the frame member 57being forced away from the outer surface of the oven wall 16a againstthe pressure of the spring member 60.

rrise.

'As this occurs, the temperature within the oven diminishes, and theexpansion of the member 37 is stopped, and the member begins tocontract. This results in carrying the rod member 40 transverselythrough the tube in the other 4direction and tends to open the valvemember 24 against the pressure of the spring 27. As a result thetemperature within the oven will again tend to Thus the oven temperatureis maintained at any selected point desired by means of this expansionand contraction of the rod and tube elements of the thermostat.

The device may be calibrated before installation, and no furtheradjustment is necessary. However, if for any reason it becomes necessaryto change the quantity of gas flowing to the' pilot flame connection orto the burner maintenance connection, a pair of openings 65 and 66 areformed in the oven wall 16 and provide means for permitting access tothe screws 31 and 28, respectively, for adjusting the screws withintheir-respective passages. These openings are normally hidden from viewby the grate over the open. top burners 8.

The dial 53 may be adjusted with respect to the spindle 45 by looseningthe screw 50 and turning the dial with respect to the selecting spindle.When the desired adjustment is obtained the parts are locked together bythe screw 50. f

Other modiiications` and adaptations of the present invention arecontemplated and I-do not intend to be limited to the exact detailsshown an outer wall member, a control device mounted between the innerand outer wall members of one of said walls, a selecting device at theopposite wall including a dial member, means-for adjusting the positionof said dial member relative to said selecting device, and a thermalsensitive element extending through the oven from one wall to the other,said thermal sensitive element having operative association with thecontrol dev-ice at one end and with the selecting device at its oppositeend. a

2. In combination, a support having an opening, a control device, saidcontrol device including a valve member, a spring for seating said valvemember, and a thermal sensitive device including a rod member cooperablewith said valve member, a surrounding tubular member rigidly attached atone end to said control device and having sliding movement at itsopposite end in the opening in said support, and resilient means walls,a Athermally sensitive member extending through said oven, and a controldevice positioned on the opposite wall of said oven.

4. In combination, an oven, a selecting means extending through one wallof said oven, a thermally responsive member extending through said oven,said member comprising a rod enclosed by a tube, a control devicepositioned on the opposite Wall of said oven, and mounting means forresiliently supporting said selecting means with respect to said ovenwall.

5. In combination, an oven, a selecting means extending through one wallof said oven, a thermally responsive member extending through said oven,said member comprising a rod and an enveloping tube having diierentcoeicients of thermal expansion, a control devicepositioned on theopposite wall of said oven, and mounting means for resilientlysupporting said selecting means with respect to said oven wall. Y.

6. In combination, a thermally operated device comprising selectingmeans having a dial and associated spindle, a thermally responsivemember having one end engaged by said spindle, a control device engagedby the other end of said thermally responsive member, and means engagingin said spindle providing for adjustment of said dial withrespect-thereto.

7. In combinatiomin an oven, a thermally operated device comprising aselecting means having a dial and associated spindle resiliently.mounted in one side wall of said oven, a thermally responsive memberengaging said spindle and coaxial therewith, and a control deviceengaged by said thermally responsive member positioned in the oppositeside wall of said oven.

8. In combination, in an oven having opposite side Walls, a controldevice, a thermally sensitive member for actuating said control deviceextending laterally through said oven, said member being rigidly securedto said control device, a cylindrical internally threaded supporthavinga radially extending flange portion, means .carried by one of said sidewalls engaging said ilange portion for yieldingly supporting saidsupport,VA

and means for securing said thermally sensitive member to said support.I

9. In combination, a control device, a valve in said control device, arod and tube thermostat extending laterally from said control device,the rod of said thermostat having abutting engagement with said valve, asupport at the other end of said thermostat comprising an internallyvthreaded housing, `a selecting spindle threaded into said housing andhaving a recessed end re-` ceiving said rod, a dial member mounted onsaid spindle, and means for adjusting the position of said dial memberwithrrespect to said spindle.

10. In a heat regulator of the class described, a control device, aselecting device including an internally threaded housing having aradial transient ma@ te. was, its.

incarica ange, means cooperating with said iiange for supporting saidhousing in position, a spindle' threaded into said housing, a collar onsaid spindie, a dial member carried on said spindle, releasable meansfor frictionally' engaging said dial member against said collar toprovid for rotation of said member upon rotation of said spindle, andthermally sensitive means extending between said control device and saidselecting means including a rod and tube, said rod having abuttingengagement at one end with said spindle and the other end with saidcontrol device.

11. In a heat regulatorI of the class described, a control device, aselecting device including a housing having a radial flange, said iiangehaving opposed peripheral indentations, means engaging in saidindentations and enclosing said ange for supporting said housing inposition and providing for sliding movement thereof, a selecting spindlethreaded into said housing, and thermally sensitive means extendingbetween said control deviceand said selecting means including anexpansible rod having abutting engagement at one end with said spindleand at the other end with said control device.

12. In an oven having opposed side walls with' lining walls spacedinwardly therefrom, the combination of a control device secured betweenone of said oven walls and its corresponding lining wall, a selectingdevice secured between the opposite -oven wall and its correspondinglining wall, said selecting device including a spindle portionprojecting outwardly of the oven wall and a housing receiving said,spindle and having a radial flange, said flange having peripheralindentations, means engaging 'in said indentations for supporting saidhousing for lateral sliding movement, and thermally sensitive meansextending between said lining walls and including an expansible rodhaving abutting engagement 115 at one end with said spindle and at theother end with said control device.

13. In combination, a selecting spindle, thermally sensitive meansextending axially therelfrom, a control device having engagement with129 the extending end of said thermally sensitive means, and means forresilientl'y supporting said spindle in position.

14. In combination, selecting means having an extending spindle,thermally sensitive means ex- 125 tending axially therefrom, controlmeans having abutting engagement with the extending end of saidthermally sensitive means, and means resiliently supporting saidselecting means inpesition and providing for axial movement thereof. 130

CLARENCE wAN'rz.

@lli @@RREGTWN.

Ncvember M, 11933.

CLARENCE?. WAN'Z.

llt le hereby. certliied that. error appears in the printedspeciiication ci the above numbered' patent recruiting 'correction asiollcws:

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